“Then the disciples understood that He had spoken to them about John the Baptist” (Matthew 17:13).

John came baptizing with a baptism of repentance.  Jesus perfectly repented for us.  The turning of the rebellious soul toward God is the beginning of restoration.  God is doing what needs to be done.  We often do not recognize what God is doing, but it is God who does all that need to be done, so the most important thing is to learn to trust Him.  Trust the Lord above all things.  He has told us what He is doing.  Trust His Word.

Lord, these things have been before me from the beginning.  I read them and quickly move on.  Teach me how to meditate upon and inwardly digest Your word.  Guide me to look to You, the One who has already laid out the course for Your will to be done.  Join me on the path of Your will and help me to rejoice in the salvation You have prepared for all who will believe.  Help me to learn and understand the words of truth that You have spoken.

Lord Jesus, You have saved us through the grace purchased for our redemption.  Although I may not understand, help me to trust in what I do not see, knowing that all things are in Your hands.  Guide me to be firm in conviction, bold in proclamation, and steadfast in trust of You above all things.  Help me now and always to be led by Your Holy Spirit into all righteousness.  Amen.

“And His disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”  And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted. So also, the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands” (Matthew 17:10-12).

The revelation of truth has already happened.  We are in a battle against principalities and forces.  Those in rebellion continue to rebel.  All things are being restored by the grace Jesus purchased for us from the cross.  We have been given the new life.  We are called to walk in this new life, but the world beckons us to continue in its old ways.  The world will do what it wants, for a time, but the will of the Father shall be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Lord, help me to see that only in You is there hope.  This world runs in circles, doing the same thing repeatedly.  You have restored hope through faith and by grace.  Guide me in the hope You give me so that I learn from You how to live life.  Lift me up out of the morass of this world so that I look to You as the source from which all things have their being.  Guide me into the upward call of faith.

Lord Jesus, You have made possible my ability to walk with You.  You have restored the relationship severed by sin.  Keep me close to You and, by Your Holy Spirit, guard me from the errors of this age.  Lead me in the way of goodness, granting me the ability to be gracious with others as You have been gracious to me.  In Your mercy and grace, be the One who leads me all the steps of my life.  Amen. 

“When they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead” (Matthew 17:9).

There are things you have seen or that have been revealed to you and the Lord wants you to understand; but others are not yet ready for what the Lord has shown you.  This too is a part of trusting the Lord above your own understanding.  He will lead you, show you what He will show you, and ask you to do what He will ask you to do.  The Lord must be lord in all aspects of your life.

Lord, this world is a free-for-all where ideas are thrown around and people say what they will.  You are Lord and You have given me the words of eternal life.  Guide me into the life You will give me by Your grace.  When You ask me to remain silent, then help me to remain silent.  Guide me in Your goodness and mercy so that I keep what You show me as mine but offer what You give me when You ask me to share.  Lord, You are Lord of all.  Lead me, for I do not know how to go forward on my own.

Author and finisher of my faith, I need Your guidance.  Some things I see are just what You want me to see.  Some things are what You want me to share.  Lord, by the power of the Holy Spirit, guard my lips and help me follow Your lead always.  Help me to be subservient to Your leadership and do as You direct.  Guide me now and always, in the will of the Father, to be obedient to Your word.  Amen. 

“And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.”  And raising their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone” (Matthew 17:7).

We become afraid of reality and want to live in the shadowlands of this age.  Jesus is God in the flesh, but we would rather see Jesus as only a man.  Our Lord comes to us humbly and asks us to follow Him.  When we know who He is, we become afraid.  Look to Jesus as Lord, yes, but also as your friend.  Respect who He is, but also love the friend who has come calling and walk where He leads.

You have been told who Jesus is.  You can either walk away, believing what you will, or fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.  These are the two realities of the offering that are before us all.  Come and fall at the feet of Jesus.  He will lift you up, prepare you, and send you into the world where, by His word, he will transform you to become what He will make of you.  Get up and do not be afraid.

Lord Jesus, I do not know all that I need to know, but I know enough to turn to You.  Lead me  in the way You know I need to go.  Guide me in Your goodness and mercy to humbly walk with You, my Lord and God.  You have given me Your Spirit to lead from the inside and You lead me from the outside.  Through all things, help me to walk with You now and forever so that I may become what You will make of me.  Amen.

“While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him!”  When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified” (Matthew 17:5-6).

Listen to Jesus.  So often, we are overwhelmed by the things that happen in our daily lives that we do not look to the One who has called us to live unto eternal life.  All of Scripture speaks of Jesus.  Scripture bears witness to what the Father has been doing from the beginning.  Be guided by the truth knowing that Truth is Jesus, the salvation of God, revealed so that we may know the One true God.

Heavenly Father, You have given us the words we need to hear.  We need to listen to Jesus as He guides us into a life that is righteous in Your sight.  Remove the obstacles that get in the way so that we may humbly follow where Jesus leads.  Teach us what it means to listen to Jesus.  Through Your Holy Spirit, guide us in a daily life that is always looking to You to become what You are making of us.

Lord Jesus, You have given me the words of eternal life.  In the new life You have given me by grace, help me to learn how to walk through the narrow gate.  Pick me up when I fall and guide me in Your goodness.  Holy Spirit, teach me how to pray so that I am constantly in prayer.  Through all that may come, guide me in Your goodness so that I may be Your witness in a world that walks in darkness.  Abide with me this and every day, My Lord and my God.  Amen.

“And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.  Peter responded and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If You want, I will make three tabernacles here: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (Matthew 17:3-4).

God is not the god of the dead, but the God of the living.  Because Christ lives, you too shall live.  Abandon the old life which leads to death and walk in the life Christ gives you.  Do not be concerned with the speculations of this age but be transformed by the renewing of your mind in Christ Jesus.  Walk with Him knowing that He is leading you out of the bondage to sin and death and into a new life.

Lord, standing with You were Moses and Elijah, representing the law and the prophets.  You bring all things together according to Your word so that we may live into the abundant life You offer.  Do not let us go astray with speculation about Moses and Elijah being there, but take their lead to look to You, the author and finisher of faith.  Help all who call upon Your name to humbly walk, following You, into the life You are offering by grace through grace.

Lord Jesus, seeing You as You are, the embodiment of Scripture fulfilled, overwhelms my heart and mind so that the trivialities of this age pale in comparison.  Keep me abiding in You and help me to look to You as the source of my being.  I know You are walking with me this day.  Help me to live knowing that You are leading me each moment of this and every day that You give me.  Teach me how to be faithful.  Amen.

“Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James, and his brother John, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves.  And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light” (Matthew 17:1-2).

Who is Jesus?  In this temporal world we see what we can in the physical realm, but we are physical and spiritual beings.  You are both.  Our Lord has come to awaken us to eternity.  He shows us who He is.  He is the Eternal One through whom all things were made.  He has come that we may have life and have it more abundantly.  He is calling us to become a child of the Heavenly Father.

Lord Jesus, You are King of kings and Lord of lords.  You have come so that we may have the abundant life that leads to eternal life.  Guide us in Your goodness to see You as You are.  Never let us trivialize or ignore the reality that You, through whom all things have their being, have come to share eternal life with each one of us.  Lead Your faithful ones in the light of Your presence to walk with You.

Savior of all believers, You came humbly to reveal light and life.  Walk with me so that I may walk in the light of Your presence.  Guide me in Your goodness and mercy this day so that I may do those things You give me to do.  Help me to keep my eye on You always as You lead me in this day.  Tune my heart to be in constant prayer, seeking Your Holy Spirit to help me throughout this day.  Amen.

“Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom” (Matthew 16:28).

John saw the kingdom and gave a report.  Yet, do we who believe, still not see that the kingdom has broken in?  It is not just the place, but the kingdom, where our Lord and we are eternally united.  Think in terms of the relationship you have and not the place where you physically stand.  Be led by the Holy Spirit to walk in the way of true life.  Walk with the Lord and trust that He has done all that needs to be done.

Lord, I sometimes think mechanically and skeptically.  Lead me to hear Your words simply.  You have come to unite us with the Father eternally.  By grace, through faith, You do this.  Guard my heart and mind so that I do not trust myself but trust You above all things.  Let me be encouraged by the hope You give me.  Teach me to look to You alone for the guidance I need to come into Your eternal presence.

Lord Jesus, You have come so that we may have life and have it more abundantly.  Guide me in Your goodness and mercy to walk with You this day knowing that all things are in Your hands.  In Your grace, turn my eyes from longing for the things of this world to live into the life You give through faith.  Let me know that when I see You, I see the kingdom of heaven.  Lead me ever deeper into Your kingdom.  Amen.

“For what good will it do a person if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Or what will a person give in exchange for his soul?  For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every person according to his deeds” (Matthew 16:26-27).

There are those who do think of themselves alone and as the center of being.  What good does that do?  So, you live for yourself.  What have you gained?  Experiences?  But if you live for yourself, when you die, they die.  Jesus is telling us the most fundamental truth there is, we are not alone, nor are we the center.  The richest people in the world leave behind everything they gained in this life. Only your soul survives.

Lord, in the end, my soul is either yours, or else is forfeited.  If I seek my selfish desires, I cannot have a heart that really lives.  Lead me in the way You know I need to walk to be shed of the evil that resides in my heart.  Lord, I pray You, bless me because I have walked with You rather than walking in my way.  Save me from the condemnation this world brings so that I may become what You intend.

Lord Jesus, You are being forthright and telling us of reality.  Help me to think this through and see it for what it is.  Guide me now and always to understand that You created me, and I desire to walk with You.  Either I will belong to myself, or I will belong to You.  You have ransomed my soul.  Guide me in the way, truth and life You give me by grace so that I may live and  join You in eternity.  Amen.

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25).

It is not about you or me.  We did not invent life.  We can barely (if at all) control our own life.  The One who is the author of life calls us to follow Him and He will show us what life is.  The struggle runs deep in our sin-sick soul.  He must carefully pull each thorn of sin out of us to make of us what He will.  You do not need to figure it out, for He knows the plans He laid down at the foundation of all things.

Lord, I do want to do things my way.  I have a strong will and it often gets in the way.  Lead me, Lord, so that I may humbly follow where You lead.  Teach me how to deny myself so that I may come into Your purpose.  I worry about this life, but You have told me to stop worrying about this life.  Teach me what it means to deny myself for Your sake so that I walk in faith with You leading.

Lord Jesus, You denied Yourself by taking my sin with You on the cross.  Help me to take up my cross and learn what it means to deny myself.  Help me to get out of the way so that the Holy Spirit can guide me.  You know what I need.  Help me to live with You being the One who, in every situation, provides counsel for my thoughts, words, and deeds.  Help me to focus upon living rightly and not upon being saved.  You have already done all that is needed, my Lord, Savior, and God.  Amen.